Badass
by ShellSueD
Summary: A short story about Ranger and his reputation...


_Based very loosely on the song of the same name by Salvia_

_ JE owns all rights to anything familiar_

_For _**LilyGhost**_ who put the song in my head_

_Thanks to alix33 for the mad beta skills_

* * *

Ranger lifted a well-muscled leg and put his foot to the door right at the lock, breaking it open with a single, powerful kick.

He entered the house with arms extended, gun sweeping in a right to left arc as his eyes scoured every inch of space, seeking the target.

The living room was empty and he gave the all clear sign, signaling the two men covering his flanks to move to the next room. They headed right, down a long hallway while Ranger took the left through the dining area.

The coppery smell of recently spilled blood hit his nostrils the second he crossed the threshold into the kitchen. A muffled sound from somewhere in the house froze his forward progress. His feet stopped and he held his breath in his lungs as he listened intently for another noise.

A beat passed, and then another without a repeat performance so he continued in silence towards his destination. The scent of blood grew bolder as he moved through the room and around the cabinets. The first sign of it came a second later when he reached the end of the mini center island. He dropped into a crouch to inspect the small crimson puddle at his feet.

It was fresh, not more than ten minutes. He lifted his eyes and scanned the closest surfaces for splatters. None were obvious so he assumed a knife was used. Rising to his feet he followed the trail, being careful not to step in the smears and contaminate the crime scene.

Ozzy's distinctive rasp sounded the all clear in his ear just before he and his partner Colt arrived in the kitchen with guns drawn. Ozzy opened his mouth, most likely to announce the house was empty, but Ranger raised a finger to his lips and pointed to the door that led into the cellar. There was a partial bloody footprint on the floor just in front of it and a tiny smudge on the door handle. Colt's golden eyes widened slightly and Ranger tapped his earpiece twice, signaling to the team outside they needed backup.

Thirty seconds later Bull and Dallas silently opened the back door and entered the kitchen through the attached sunroom.

Ranger counted quietly down from five while the team fastened night vision goggles over their eyes. As he said the number one, he killed the lights and opened the door to the cellar.

The stairs were narrow and steep and they descended in a single file line with Ranger on point. Through the green haze, his eyes swept what little visibility there was in the confined space. He couldn't see anyone but they had to be down there; there were no other options.

He reached the bottom step and as his foot touched the concrete slab, a body lunged at him from the shadows beside the stairs. The blade glinted in his face for a split second before he pivoted on his left foot, grabbed the wrist wielding the knife and snapping it back, broke the bone cleanly. The weapon clattered to the floor with a yelp of pain from the man who'd been holding it.

Before the target even knew what was happening his face was smashed against the cold hard floor and his arms were being wrenched behind his back. He cried out again when the metal cuffs clicked onto his damaged wrist. Ranger's calm yet frighteningly menacing voice was in his ear, making him tremble even more.

"Where is she?"

The man whimpered something incomprehensible and Ranger yanked on his shackled wrists making him scream. "Where the fuck is she?"

"Lights!" One of his men called before turning them on, giving the team a beat to remove their goggles. The room flooded a second later and Bull located the woman they'd come to rescue.

"Over here! _Shit_...Dallas, get down here."

The team medic had been the one to hit the lights and was still at the top of the stairs. He rushed down, jumping the cramped terrain of steps two at a time.

Half of her body was hanging out of the large chest freezer and was steadily excreting blood down the front panel.

"She's breathing," Dallas announced, "but barely. We need to get her out of here. _Now_."

"An Ambulance and Boston PD are en route," Colt said, slipping his phone back in his pocket. He glanced at Ranger for confirmation he'd done the right thing by making the call.

"That is protocol," Ranger assured him with a nod of his head. Colt was in his probationary term with the Boston Rangeman team and this had been his first week out in the field. So far, Ranger was pleased with what he saw; Ozzy was training him well. "Can you handle getting this asshole up by yourself?" He pulled the handcuffed man to his feet by his hands, eliciting another scream of pain.

"Gladly." Colt wrapped long fingers around his upper arm and jerked him toward the stairs. The man unfortunately stumbled at the first step, with an assist from Colt's foot, and his abdomen slammed into the banister, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"Whoops," Colt said dryly. "Watch your step."

The corners of Ranger's lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile.

The rest of the men had retrieved their client from the freezer and Dallas was applying pressure to the wound in her chest. "Jesus," Bull breathed. "He stabbed her and then thought he could just stash her in the freezer? _Sick_ _fuck_. Too bad she didn't trip her panic alarm sooner."

Ranger thought she was lucky to have pushed the button at all. When the battered wife had shown up at their office building two weeks before, with both eyes blackened and a nasty gash on her arm, he'd tried to warn her it would eventually come to this. He'd offered to find her a place where she would be safe, but she had been living in the land of denial for too long and wouldn't see reason. The only thing he _had_ managed to do was convince her to carry the panic alarm. Luckily she'd agreed and they'd reached her in time... but just barely. "How bad is it?" He asked Dallas, not liking the pallor of her skin.

"Can't tell. She's lost a lot of blood and her pulse is weak, but she's hanging in there."

"Should we try and get her upstairs?"

Dallas shook his head of dark brown curls. "I don't want to move her. We'll let the EMTs take her out on a board."

Ranger nodded and cut his eyes to Ozzy. "You're with me. Let's go meet the Boston PD."

Two police units and an ambulance were pulling up to the house when they stepped outside. "It's Delaney," Ozzy commented quietly and they both visibly relaxed. Rangeman had dealt with Officer Delaney before. He was a good cop and didn't give them a lot of grief. Ranger's only problem was he looked a lot like Joe Morelli and that made him think of home.

_And of Stephanie._

He wondered what she was doing right then. Rolling in garbage trying to catch a skip? Destroying another car? Or maybe she was curled up on her couch in those little shorts that drove him insane. He mentally counted the days since he'd last seen her. Not that it mattered, whatever the number, it was _way_ too many.

He pulled out his phone, thinking he would take one more look at the surreptitious picture he'd taken of her in the shorts but Ozzy pulled him back into the moment. "Ready to give our statement?"

Ranger nodded and slipped the phone back in his pocket. That was something he should view in private anyway. They filled the police in on every detail, beginning with the woman's first visit to Rangeman and ending with the current situation. They all watched as she was loaded into the ambulance and then the team was cleared to leave the scene. Ranger and Ozzy headed for their vehicle where Colt, Dallas and Bull were waiting and talking. Colt was gesturing animatedly with his hands and Ozzy shot Ranger a grin when they heard the tail end of the conversation.

"I mean, you saw that, right? He's like a ninja or something. And the guy's wrist..._Jesus_. Ranger's a fucking badass, man."

"Someone is a little star struck," Ozzy said under his breath while he tried not to laugh.

"Fuck off, Oz."

Ranger beeped open the black SUV and they all piled in for the short drive back to the Rangeman building. The ride was relatively quiet on the way, each man knowing Ranger's preference for silence while he drove, but Dallas broke the peace and quiet just before they reached the gate of the underground parking garage.

"Rumor has it Ace will be back tomorrow so I assume you will be on a plane to Jersey soon?"

Ranger met his questioning look in the rearview mirror. Patrick "Ace" Mancuso, who normally ran the Boston branch of Rangeman Enterprises, had been wounded in a random drive-by shooting which brought Ranger to Boston while he recovered.

"Friday."

"You're leaving?" Colt piped up from Dallas' left, the disappointment clear on his young, unlined face.

"Jesus, Colt. I didn't know you were gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Momentarily confused, Colt turned his head toward Dallas and ran his hand over his freshly shaved Mohawk. "What? I'm not gay."

Bull and Ozzy both barked out a laugh and Ranger let an exasperated sigh escape as he hit the remote that opened the gate.

"You're not?" Dallas continued to tease.

"_No!_ What are you talking about? You've met my girlfriend."

"Yeah…but it sounds like she might be a cover. You can come out of the closet, man. We don't judge around here. To each his own."

"_I'm not gay!"_ Colt insisted as Ranger maneuvered the car into an empty space.

"Then why do you have such a hard-on for the boss?"

Ranger caught the poor kid's horrified face in the mirror before Colt glanced down at his own crotch, maybe expecting to actually have an erection.

"Enough!" Ranger barked as he cut the engine. The Boston team could sometimes be even more relentless with the teasing than the men back home. And that was saying something, especially when the competition was with one Lester Santos. "Stop torturing him. He did well today and I think all of you should buy him a beer tonight."

There were a few obligatory groans of protest, but he was sure Colt wouldn't have to get out his wallet when they hit the bar later.

"Debriefing in my office in thirty," he instructed as they unloaded from the vehicle and headed for the stairs. Everyone made noises of assent, with the exception of Ozzy, who hung back in the garage wanting a private word with his boss.

"What's your assessment of Colt?" Ranger asked when they were alone. "I thought he was good today. Kept a level head and followed protocol."

Ozzy nodded his agreement and Ranger was struck by how much he resembled Tank. Of course the two men were brothers, so it should be expected. Ozzy was an inch or two shorter and two years older, but they could easily pass for twins. "He'll be a good permanent addition. He's young but he's got an even temperament and won't go off half-cocked and cause problems. He just needs to learn to tell when the guys are fucking with him; that's seems to still be a mystery to him."

"Yeah. He won't survive if he doesn't figure that out. Make him the offer." Ranger pushed off the wall he was leaning against and reached for the door to the stairs, only to be stopped by Ozzy's question.

"Can we talk about Ace?"

Ranger lifted a brow in acquiesce.

"We sure he's ready to come back?"

"He's been medically cleared, but only for desk work."

Ozzy raised his own brow.

"I know," Ranger said. "He's going to hate every second and he'll try and get around it at every opportunity so you're going to have be his babysitter."

"_Fuck_," Ozzy breathed. "He'll hate that worse than being chained to a desk."

"No doubt," Ranger agreed, "but we can't risk him getting hurt again, or getting the men hurt because he can't keep up. I'll give him the warning myself, but if he starts giving you too much trouble, be sure to remind him I am only a two hour plane ride away."

"That should do it," Ozzy said with a very Tank like smirk. He knew half the men were afraid of just how much of a badass their boss really was, himself included. He'd seen Ranger in action and he'd rather take a bullet to the shoulder than fuck with the man.

"Let's go." Ozzy nodded and followed him up the five flights of stairs to the control room floor.

Two days later, the plane's wheels touched down at just after eight in the morning and the tension making Ranger's shoulders ache immediately eased. He'd been gone for nearly a month and was finally able to relax now that he was back in Jersey. Normally he didn't mind being gone but this time he'd missed home….well, he'd missed _her_ and the very first thing he planned to do was seek out Stephanie Plum.

As instructed, a Rangeman vehicle was waiting for him in the short term parking lot and he tossed his bag in the backseat after retrieving the key fob from under the front wheel well. It was still relatively early, by Stephanie standards anyway, so he drove to her apartment. Her car was already gone when he pulled into the lot so he chose the next logical location - and that's where he found her.

She was standing by Connie's desk, perusing through a file and munching on a doughnut. Like a man on a mission, and without saying a single word, he stalked over to her, wrapped his hand around her wrist and proceeded to tug her outside. When he got her into the alley between the Bond's office and the bookstore beside it he pressed her into the brick wall with his body and leaned in for the kiss he'd been craving for weeks. When he finally broke away to let her take a breath, he touched his forehead to hers and ran his palms down the length of her arms. "Babe," he murmured, unsure of what else to say.

"Wow," she said after a beat. "You should go away more often if you're going to kiss me like that when you get back."

A small smile tipped his lips at the corners and he leaned back so he could see into her endless blue eyes. "There is more where that came from, but we need to talk first."

Her eyes widened in obvious surprise. "Talk? You?"

"Yes, Babe. I _have_ been known to have a conversation or two." He wasn't sure what he wanted to say and he'd need some time to work it out but he wanted her to be aware that he had things to discuss. He just hoped she'd want to hear them. If the reception of his kiss was any kind indication, he thought she would be _very_ interested.

Her tongue darted out to swipe over her bottom lip and then she pulled the corner into her mouth briefly with her teeth. "You always tell me you can say more with other parts of your anatomy than you ever could with your mouth." That statement and another lick of her lips had him once again bending his head to capture her mouth.

"Mmm," she murmured when he finally separated their lips again and a few beats passed before her eyes blinked open. They were slightly glazed over with desire and he secretly loved the fact he had such an effect on her. "Is this about...the deal? Is it time to collect?"

_Shit_. He'd completely forgotten he'd struck that asinine agreement with her. What had he been thinking? He hadn't, not with his brain anyway and that was the problem. He'd been so turned on by her that day, wanting her almost to the point of distraction, that he'd blurted the first thing that popped into his head. He never thought she would agree to it and he never had any intention of collecting but obviously she'd taken it a lot more seriously than he had.

"No," he said with a small laugh, "that was just a joke." _Not really._ He was deadly serious at the time but an hour later when he actually stopped to think about what he said, he'd realized what a jerk he'd been to even suggest it. In hindsight, he probably should have told _her_ that.

"Oh." Her face dropped and she tore her eyes away from his. Was that rejection he saw? She couldn't possibly think he didn't...

"Hey." He used his finger to bring her chin back around. "Don't misunderstand me, Stephanie. I want you. _Badly. _But when we do get together - and we _will -_ when I'm buried inside you so deep you won't know where I start and you end, it will be because that's what we both _want_, not because you think you owe me something. Understand?"

Her cheeks tinted a deep shade of pink at his words and all she could manage was a single nod in response.

"Good. I'll pick you up at seven tonight and we'll talk… and then maybe we'll see if the rest of my body has anything to say after that. Sound like a plan?" She only nodded again and he thought he'd finally done the impossible...render Stephanie Plum speechless.

"Seven, Babe," he reminded and pressed his lips to her temple before leaving her in the alley.

"Ranger?" She called to his retreating back, her muteness obviously temporary. He turned around but kept walking backwards. "Is this a date?"

He flashed her all of his impossibly white teeth. "Yes. It's definitely a date."

"What should I wear?"

That stopped him in his tracks. He hadn't thought past asking her and had no clue yet where he was going to take her, however an outfit did come to mind. One he'd yet to actually see her wearing.

"Remember that little black dress you showed me a few weeks ago?" He certainly did. He remembered every single thought that passed through his head the second he saw it...and that was before he'd even kissed her for the first time.

_Bad._ He had it bad for this woman.

Stephanie's breath caught and the blush in her cheeks traveled all the way down her neck, but she nodded...the ability to speak lost once again._ She's so fucking beautiful, _he thought and then left before he threw her in his truck and drove her home so she could put on the dress right then.

He could still taste her on his lips a half an hour later when he dropped his bag at the foot of his bed. He needed a shower and then sleep and then he needed to figure out what he was going to say to convince her he wanted to be with her, in a more than friend/mentor manner.

His life didn't really lend itself to relationships and there were probably a dozen reasons why it wouldn't work between them but he honestly didn't give a shit.

She was the first thing he thought about when he woke in the morning, the last thing before he went to sleep at night, and all those times in between? Yeah, he was thinking of her then too. And since he'd never felt that way about any other woman, not even the Mother of his daughter, he thought it had to mean something. Maybe something _significant_ and he had every intention of figuring it out before it was too late.

But first, a shower. He stripped off his shirt and headed to the bathroom only to be halted by the shrill ring of the phone beside his bed. He swore softly; not back in the building ten minutes and he was already being summoned.

He snatched up the receiver and said, "Can't it wait?"

"I missed you too," Tank snarked in his ear, "and yes it probably can but I thought I should at least let you know there is a very pissed off detective in the lobby threatening to arrest Zip if he doesn't let him in the building."

"Morelli?"

"Who else?"

"Fuck."

"Yes, I assume that's what this is about."

_"What?"  
_  
"I assume he's found out you're fucking Stephanie and that's why he's spitting venom down there."

"I am not fucking Stephanie, Tank."

_"Really?"_ The disbelief was apparent in his voice and Ranger nearly hung up on him.

"I'm not having this conversation with you now. Or ever, actually. Tell Zip to let the good detective know I'll be down in five."

He replaced the receiver and ran a hand through his overly long hair, pondering what had crawled up Morelli's ass. Ranger had been gone for the better part of a month and hadn't so much and breathed the same air as Stephanie in that time so what could he possibly have his panties in a twist about?

_Except you nearly ravished her in a very public alley not more than an hour ago.  
_  
Shit. Some bored, nosy housewife was probably a witness and told one of her friends. Gossip spread faster than herpes through the Burg.

He was half tempted to make Morelli wait for longer than anyone would consider polite, but the cop had a notoriously short fuse and he didn't want Zip thrown in jail for assault if he got aggressive.

Ranger reluctantly pulled his shirt back on, tucked his Glock in the small of his back and took the stairs down to the lobby.

"I don't really care if you do know the mayor. I'm not letting you in the building without a warrant. I know our rights."

Zip was holding his own against the onslaught and it probably didn't hurt the intimidating presence of Lester, Ram, Bobby and Hector were lined up against the wall, ready to jump in at the first sign of an attack.

For a second Ranger thought about being the nice guy and trying to pacify the cop but Joe had invaded _his_ territory and was harassing _his_ employees so he wasn't feeling at all hospitable.

"Is there a problem, officer?" Ranger asked with as much contempt as possible as he crossed the lobby. He saw the slight tilt at the corners of Lester's lips in his peripheral vision.  
_  
"Detective,"_ Morelli corrected through clenched teeth. The situation was going to escalate quickly if Joe couldn't grasp the fact Ranger had deliberately pushed that button.

"Right. What can I do for you, _detective_?"

Morelli's fists clenched at his sides and he took a small step forward. "Don't play fucking dumb, Manoso. You know exactly why I'm here." He took another step and Ranger felt the shift in the atmosphere from the men at his back. If Joe took another step they were going to respond, and not in a friendly way.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm going to have to disagree with you on that point, Joe. All I know is you're in _my_ lobby, being combative with _my_ staff, issuing threats you can't possibly make good and I'm about ready to toss you out on your ass for being an annoying prick, so why don't you tell me what the issue is."

Something resembling a growl erupted from Joe's throat and he lurched forward. Ranger's men moved as one, flanking him on both sides. Luckily Morelli quickly saw the potential danger to his life and backed up a full step. "What kind of pussy are you that you need five guys defending you? Call off your thugs; this is between you and me."

Ranger couldn't help it, he laughed out loud. One, because the notion he would need any kind of backup against the likes of Joe was ridiculous and two because he saw the flash of fear in Joe's eyes. He was smart to be afraid, but it still struck Ranger as funny.

"What's so fucking amusing?"

"The fact you don't realize they're here for _you_, not me." Ranger felt every smile of each of his men.

"How's that?" Joe barked.

"They are here to make sure _I_ don't kill _you_, not to keep you away from me. And since I'm not really in the mood to kill anyone today, why don't you tell me what your problem is so we can all get back to work?"

"You and your goddamned poaching hands touching what's mine - _that_ is the fucking problem."

So he'd either seen them with his own eyes or he'd heard it from too many people to ignore. It didn't really matter at this point but Ranger wasn't admitting to anything, not until Joe said the actual words.

"I can say with the utmost confidence you have nothing I would ever want to touch so you're going to have to be more specific." He didn't know if that was actually true. He of course wanted to touch Stephanie, repeatedly and on a regular basis, and the last he'd heard, she was no longer Joe's. Although he hadn't asked, he assumed she was still unattached because she'd agreed to their date without hesitation and without once mentioning Morelli - or any other man for that matter.

"Don't fuck with me," Joe spit out. "I _saw _you, asshole. Groping her in an alley like the cheap whore she apparently is. Couldn't even pony up for an hourly room – you had to fuck her up against the wall in a dirty alley? Classy, man. Real fucking classy."

The five bodies at his sides shifted and he didn't look, just shook his head slightly, letting them know to back off. Morelli had not only crossed the proverbial line in the sand, he'd fucking obliterated it and Ranger was about to let him know this wasn't a lesson he wanted to learn.

"Outside," Ranger said in the dangerously quiet voice that had been known to make grown men quake in fear of what might follow. He wouldn't allow anyone to disrespect Stephanie like that, even if it was a moronic and jealous ex boyfriend who obliviously couldn't make a good decision to save his life. "I don't want to get your blood on the walls. We just had them painted." It was as subtle of a warning as he was going to give and if Joe didn't take it, he would drop him hard and fast and then walk away, leaving Morelli's body every shade of black and blue.

Morelli glared at him and spun on his heel, heading for the door.

"Detective," Lester called from Ranger's left.

Joe froze with his hand on the door and looked back over his shoulder expectantly.

"You don't want to do this, man. I know you've heard about his reputation and believe me, it is well warranted. This will not end well for you."

"I think the detective knows exactly what he's getting into, don't you Joe?" Ranger's eyes never left Joe's angry, red face.

"Let's go, asshole," he said and slammed his way out of the lobby, nearly taking the glass door off the hinges.

"Ranger…"Bobby and Ram tried at the same time, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

"Just make sure I don't kill him," their boss instructed and followed the cop outside.

Morelli tried to ambush him the second he stepped out the door but Ranger dodged the move and had Joe stumbling to keep his balance.

He spun around when he'd righted himself and the two men began to circle each other. Joe's fists were up and ready but Ranger's hands hung at his sides in a seemingly relaxed position. Joe would soon find out the opposite was true.

"You're not even going to try and deny it, are you?" Morelli spit out as they moved around. Ranger only lifted a brow which seemed to further incense the man. "I know that wasn't the first time so how long has it been going on? How long has she been fucking you behind my back?"

Ranger was getting more and more irritated about his lack of faith in the woman he claimed was "his." If he said one more negative thing about her, he was going to make sure Joe couldn't use his voice for a very long time.

"If you knew her at all you wouldn't even have to ask those questions."

Morelli feinted left and then tried to sucker punch him with a right hook but Ranger was ready for it. He blocked the hit and pivoted on his heel, planting a right uppercut directly into Joe's ribs. All the air left his lungs on a grunt and he staggered back. "I won't hold back next time," Ranger warned as Joe clutched his chest and tried to breathe normally.

The men came out at that first punch and the crowd had grown. Tank, Woody, Vince and Bones were now a part of the group. They formed a loose semi-circle around the two men and Ranger idly wondered who was watching the monitors.

Morelli rolled his shoulders and dropped his hand, straightening his spine even though it had to be killing him to do so. Ranger _had_ held back, but not very much. Joe was trying to save face since they now had a crowd; it was an inherent male instinct not to appear weak in front of other men. "You won't be able to take another shot because I'm going to break your hands," he said, though the words were labored. "That way you won't be able to touch me again and you'll certainly keep them off of my woman."

"Ha!" Lester barked out a short laugh. "Delusions of grandeur," he added in a mock whisper and the rest of the group laughed out loud.

That further incensed Morelli and he lunged at Ranger in a blind rage only to be met with fists of fury. If anyone had been keeping tabs on the punches they would have lost count half way through. Ranger pounded his torso and when he heard a rib crack, he swept Joe's feet out from under him, taking the cop down like a sack of sand.

Ranger dropped to his knees, planting one firmly on Joe's breast bone, holding him in place, although Joe wasn't in any condition to move more than an inch. He leaned down, hovering directly over his face.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear," Ranger spoke in a soft, calm voice but only an idiot would have missed the steel behind it. "Stephanie is_ mine_." Not technically, _not yet, _but he would rectify that later tonight. Joe didn't need to know the specifics of the timeline. "You won't talk to her, touch her, or even be in the same air space she breathes for the foreseeable future. Understand?"

Joe's eyes darted away and Ranger thought he got a miniscule nod of his head. It would have to do. "If you ever come to my building and make threats against me or anyone who works for me again – I will let my men handle you - and Joe? Every single one of them is worse than me."

"No way!" Someone from the group piped in. "You're the mutherfuckin' man, Ranger," another added. "But we'll take care of this asshole if he comes around again," a third chimed in.

"One more thing,_ detective,_" he said, drawing Joe's eyes back to his face. "If I hear you say one more derogatory thing about Stephanie, I will rip your vocal chords right out of your throat and make you eat them for a snack. Are we clear?"

Morelli squeezed his eyes shut and Ranger took that as a yes. He lifted off the man and stared down at him in disgust. The only reason he hadn't put him in the hospital is because he knew it would upset Stephanie and she'd probably had enough of that from Joe himself. He turned away and met Tank's assessing gaze. "Get this dick off my property."

Ranger didn't even spare Morelli another glance. He turned on his heel and left him lying on the ground, listening to the chatter of the men as he walked into the building.

"You're lucky he didn't kill you."

"How many ribs did he crack?"

"Ranger is such a fucking badass!"

His lips curled as the door closed behind him, silencing the voices. He did have that reputation, and it was well earned, but as he climbed the stairs, he thought about what else made him who he was. He wasn't _only_ a badass; however the list of people aware of that fact was decidedly short.

He hadn't know Stephanie all that long but he had a feeling if he was serious about starting a more intimate relationship with her, he was going to have to learn how to balance that instinctive part of himself with the rest he rarely let anyone see.

She seemed like the kind of woman that would demand all or nothing from him, and rightly so. If that meant having her in his life – permanently - he was more than ready to figure out how to let her in and he would start tonight, with their first official date.

He couldn't remember the last time he went on a real, live date but he was fairly confident he could pull it off. Failure wasn't an option – not for a badass.


End file.
